Bi2-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, November 25, 2000
Stitch Home
Homespun fabric comes in many different colors and patterns.
Barbara Mills shows how fabric edges can be fringedon tablecloths
and napkins.
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
READING (Berks Co.) Home
spun fabric is the perfect solution to at
tractive and long-lasting tablecloth and
napkins. Homespun fabric also blends
in well with farm kitchens and country
decor.
Homespun is an easy-to-care-for, 100
percent cotton fabric that is color fast,
machine washable, and reversible for
double wear, and never needs ironing.
It is a thick, soft fabric.
One drawback: Homespun is not pre
shrunk and will shrink considerably if
dried in a dryer. However, the launder
ing process enhances the appeal of the
fabric.
When you launder homespun, wash
in cold water (gentle cycle) using a mild
detergent. Detergents must be totally
dissolved and diluted in washing ma
chine filled with cold water before add
ing fabric.
Line dry by placing over wash line
and stretch back into shape. When dry,
place cloth in a cold dryer to fluff.
Homespun is available in large fabric
stores or direct from the mills at Home
spun Weavers, 55 S. Seventh St., Em
maus, PA 18049.
At the Berks County Extension holi
day program held last week in Read
ing, Barbara Mills showed the audience
how to prepare the cloth and fringe the
cloth.
Instructions to fringe tablecloths and
napkins follow.
At right, Pauline Charles,
Annville, shows what can be
done with “Daddy’s ties.”
Formed in a crazy quilt design
and framed, “Daddy’s Ties” is
sure to become a family heir
loom. In the background are
quilts Pauline made, one featur
ing a variation of the log cabin
design and the other of a barge
llo pattern. This was part of a
display by the Lebanon Quilters
Guild. For more information on
joining the Guild to learn more
about traditional, contemporary,
and innovative quilt-making
techniques, call Pauline at (717)
867-2660.
un Tablecloths, Napkins
Sewing Fringe Onto A
Round Or Oval Cloth
• Place the backside of the fringe to
the backside of the cloth.
• Match up the raw edge of the cloth
with the top of the fringe.
• Sew a first row of stitching ap
proximately i/j-inch from the top of the
fringe, all the way around the cloth.
• Turn the cloth right side up; laying
back the top of the fringe.
• Sew along the top edge of the
fringe, enclosing the raw edge to form
your hem.
• Overlap the ends of the fringe and
stitch them together.
• Trim any cloth threads that peak
out from underneath the fringe.
Finishing Instruction
For Square And
Rectangular Cloths
To fringe 52-inch and 62-wide cloths
homespun fabric comes with a woven
on side fringe, held in place by a
10-thread false selvage.
• Snip one or two of the outermost
threads of the false selvage, and the sel-
vage will easily pull away.
• Measure l-'/i-inches in from the
cut edge, and sew a stay stitch across
the cloth.
• Remove the threads up to the
stitching. Your fringed homespun ta
blecloth is now complete.
Fringe a 72-Inch
Rectangular Cloth
The 72-inch width, homespun fabric
comes woven solid to the selvage.
• Sew a stay stitch l-'/i-inch from
all four edges.
• Remove the threads up to the
stitching. Your fringed homespun ta
blecloth is now complete.
Make Placements
And Napkins
• Cut homespun to desired size.
Placemats are typically 14-inches by
18-inches: napkins, usually 18-inches
by 18-inches.
• Sew a stay stitch '/i-inch from the
edge of the cloth.
• Remove the threads up to the
stitching.
Round And
Oval Cloths
To cut a round cloth:
• Start with a square piece of fabric;
fold in half and then in half again into
a square one-quarter its original size.
• Measure and cut a piece of string
the length of one side of this square.
• Attach the string to the end of a
soft pencil or piece of chalk.
• Hold the opposite end of the
string securely at die folded center of
the cloth, and draw an arc between the
two other straight folded edges.
• Cut along the arc you’ve drawn,
through the four thicknesses of cloth,
and you will have cut a perfect circle.
Self-Fringing A Round
Or Oval Cloth
• Using the cut edge as a guide, sew
a stay stitch all the way around the
cloth, l-'A-inches from the edge.
•.Begin fringing by removing
threads at top, bottom and both sides
to the depth of the stay stitching. This
sets the depth of the fringe. All re
maining threads are on the bias, and
will become part of the fringe. None
should be removed.
• Using a pointed instrument such
as a nut pick (we don’t recommend
using a scissors), carefully unweave the
fabric to the depth of the stay stitching
on the remaining four comers until the
fringe is complete.
• Bias released threads will be long
er than the side fringed threads. So,
trim the uneven threads using side
threads as your guide for length.
SEE YOUR NEAREST
I\EW HOLLAND
DEALER FOR DEPENDABL
EQUIPMENT & SERVICE
Messick
Equipment
RD 1, 80x255A
717-259*6617
Annvllle, pa
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Carlisle. PA
R&W .
Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Messick
Equipment
Rt. 283 - Rheem’s Exit
717-367-1318
gfacncasti^PA
Meyers
Implements, Inc.
mm*** a®sta&
610-869-2214
1-800-869-9029
/ V
Halifax. PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3, Box 13 5
717-896-3414
EwfaricK. WP Hagerstown. MD
Ceresville Ford New Antietam Ford
Holland, Inc. Tractor, Inc,
Rt 26 East 2027 Leitersburg Pike
301-662-4197 ,800-553-6731
Outside MD, 800-331-9122 301-791-1200
HlslnogyrtMp 14 . *
Ag industrial Equipment
Route 1,50 N. Greenmont Rd.
' 1-800-442-5043
Washington. NJ
Smith Tractor &
Equip., Inc.
15 Hillcrest Ave.
908-689-7900
WVHOLLAN)
j9%I\EWHOLLAI\D
Credit Company
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Loysvilie, PA
717-789-3117
A.B.C, Groff, Inc,
110 South Railroad
717*54-4191
Altman. PA
Schreffler
Equipment
Pitman, PA
570-648-1120
lamaqw*. PA
Charles S.
Snyder, Inc,
R.D.3
57Q-386-594S
* V
Bridgeton. NJ
Leslie G. Fogg, Inc.
- Canton & Stow Creek
Landing Rd.
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
Owen Suppl;
Co.
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308